On Sept. 28, the city of Groveport will launch the Groveport-Rickenbacker Employee Access Transit (GREAT) service in partnership with the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) and the village of Obetz. The service will augment recently-expanded COTA bus service in the Rickenbacker area and provide last-mile service for employees to businesses located within the city of Groveport and the village of Obetz.
“This service has long been needed,” said Bob Dowler, transportation director for the city of Groveport. “As the Rickenbacker area continues to grow and develop, the demand and the competition for employees has been increasing exponentially. At the same time, more employees are seeking a greater number of transportation options.”
COTA has incrementally increased service to the Rickenbacker area in response to job growth. On Sept. 7, COTA began operating all day service and weekend service to the area on Line 81. GREAT service will connect to COTA’s Line 81 on Alum Creek Drive and will consist of three separate routes: Blue, Green and Red. The Blue and Green routes will primarily provide service to businesses in Groveport, originating at the COTA stop on London-Groveport Road and Alum Creek Drive. The Red route will service businesses located within the village of Obetz, originating at the COTA stop at Creekside Parkway and Alum Creek Drive.
The shuttles will run every 30 minutes Monday through Friday and hourly on Saturday and Sunday. They will operate in the morning, afternoon, and again in the evening, in order to coordinate with shift change times. Details of the service are available online.
“Connecting central Ohio residents to jobs is one of COTA’s most important goals,” said Curtis Stitt, president/CEO of COTA. “COTA is pleased to work with the city of Groveport and the many partners in this project to improve accessibility to 21,000 jobs in the Rickenbacker area.”
Additional partners include Parking Solutions Inc., the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, and area businesses. Workforce development agencies such as the Central Ohio Workforce Investment Corporation, Jewish Family Services and Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio are working to develop training for employers and potential new employees to familiarize them with the new service.
“Jewish Family Services and our candidates are excited about the launch of this service,” said Lynn Aspey, director of business relations for Jewish Family Services. “Transportation to the Rickenbacker area has been a challenge for prospective employees, and now this hurdle has been eliminated thanks to the efforts of the city of Groveport, COTA and the village of Obetz. As a result, candidates will have greater access to 21,000 jobs within the Rickenbacker area.”
“Eddie Bauer supports the new GREAT initiative which will provide our associates with their final mile public transportation needs,” said Steve Venegas, Vice President of North American Distribution for Eddie Bauer. “We also applaud the city of Groveport, COTA and the Rickenbacker business group for working together to develop practical solutions designed to meet a growing requirement in the local community.”
“Exel Inc. is excited to be a part of the GREAT shuttle service launch,” said Ericka Campbell of Exel Inc., which manages several warehouse operations in the Rickenbacker area. “We have over 1,000 upcoming seasonal job opportunities that will benefit from this much needed transportation option to the Groveport business park. As our businesses expand, the GREAT shuttle service will become increasingly important to the success of our operations.”
